Hot!Funnel cake difficulties - please give me advice!

Funnel cake difficulties - please give me advice!

I've ran a fried pie shop out of a concession trailer for a few years now and due to popular demand I'm starting to sell funnel cakes but I'm having problems. I've got an 8" steel funnel cake ring and a big cast iron fryer with peanut oil about 5" deep, heated by a propane fire beneath it. I fry my pies at 370 degrees and that seems fine for funnel cakes, but when I pour in the batter it doesn't come together like I think it should and it's difficult to turn them over without losing integrity. Do you think I'm not pouring in enough batter or what? I'm using more than the "makes five funnel cakes per pound" claim on the package (It comes out to about three per pound of mix) and yet I'm getting a lot of free-swimming "crunchies" but the whole thing isn't coming together. Anyone have a special technique that they use that could help me out? Thanks!